In the Italian tradition, the fern, le felce, is called the “herb of accord and discord.”* It is viewed as possessing the shape of a hand with fingers that can be separated or reconnected.
Le felce or the fern, together with the power of water, can be used to heal great disconnection and fragmentation in a person, possibly even removing curses. If the fern was used to make the curse, then it is also the proper remedy for removal.
The fern is also used in rituals in which a person needs to make “amends” for a bad deed or action. With the help of water, this plant can repair and reconcile issues in a person or a relationship.
In the West African tradition that I am schooled in, the fern is used for a ritual that is carried out to return a person to the pure pattern they were born with. Ferns are ancient plants that contain within them the blueprint for the growth pattern of life. This is commonly called the Phi or Fibonacci spiral. Since the plant itself contains the original blueprint, it can bring you back home.
I write this so medicine people may heal with the fern plant. Doing harm to others eventually ends up hurting oneself. Take great care in how you use this information.
~Theresa C. Dintino
Through the Apennines and the Lands of the Abruzzi, by Estella Canziani.
